Artist Profile: Afshan Fathima Nawas - U.S. Winner of our Pantone Spring Colors Contest

Afshan Fathima Nawas was voted the #1 entry from the United States in our Spring Pantone Colors Contest with her "Birthday Earrings".  This lovely design features fun speckled beads and some really pretty wire wrapping.  We were curious to learn more about Afshan and her jewelry making journey.  Here is her story:

Tell us a little about yourself:
I'm a grad student by day and jewelry-maker on the weekends.  Ever since I discovered the magic you can create with just craft wire and beads, I have been hooked on making jewelry.

How did you get interested in beading/jewelry making?
I used to modify earrings that I bought, if I wasn't completely satisfied with them - separate the charms, add ear-wires and make them into two earrings. Then, one summer break, while browsing at the nearest craft store, I discovered craft wire and the infinite possibilities it held. That is how it started.

What are your favorite materials to use in jewelry making?
Wire of different gauges, natural gemstone beads and Swarovski crystals.

Who or what inspires your creative process?
I love the intricate wire work by Iza Malczyk. The bold use of colors by Sabina G also inspire me. Of recent, I have been drawn to metal works of art by Anna-Karin Hallström and Belinda Saville.

Is there somewhere people can see/purchase your work?
I haven't started selling my work yet. But I have a Flickr page where you can check out more photos!

Thanks for sharing Afshan!  It was great to read a little bit about you and your work and we wish you the best of luck with your endeavors!

Beading Contest: Pantone Spring Colors Winners

Another Beadaholique beading contest has come to an end, and we have three winners to announce!

Birthday Earrings! by Afshan Fathima Nawas

Afshan Fathima Nawas was voted the #1 entry from the United States with her "Birthday Earrings".  This lovely design features fun speckled beads and some really pretty wire wrapping.

Red Flower Bracelet by Tatiana Alkhimova

Tatiana Alkhimova was voted the #1 international entry with her "Red Flower Bracelet".  This cuff bracelet features an incredible bead woven flower with pearls at the center.

Afshan and Tatiana have both won a $100 Beadaholique gift certificate.  Artist profiles on Afshan and Tatiana will be posted soon here on our blog, so be sure to check back and find out more about them.

Emerald Silk by Carrie Grabowicz

Our Editor's Pick, and the winner of a $50 Beadaholique gift certificate is Carrie Grabowicz and her "Emerald Silk Necklace". We felt that Carrie did a remarkable job of embracing her chosen Pantone color (emerald!) and the composition of her piece is lovely.

Congratulations to all of our winners!  Our next contest will be announced in the May issue of The Beading Wire, and we can't wait to see what you all create! 

Beading Table Wednesday: 04/17/13

Megan's Table

I love rhinestones, and I especially love rhinestone cupchain.  I'm ridiculously excited about the new rhinestone cupchain that we just got in.  I just had to go digging through the warehouse to find it, unwrapped those spools, and cut myself some pieces to play with.  Patience isn't exactly my strong suit...  So, here's what I'm working on: a new glass button cocktail ring much like the Quite an Affair Ring and some really, really pretty earrings using Nunn Design bezel earrings.

Julie's Table

The necklace on my table this week combines vintage looking SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS baroque pearls with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS round mini beads. I like how the pearls have a great irregular shape to them whereas the mini beads are perfectly uniform. I might just have to wear this necklace to my brother's wedding next week!

Beading Contest: Pantone Spring Colors Finalists!

The 12 finalists for our beading contest "Pantone Spring Colors" are in and it's up to you to decide the winners! See each entry and cast your votes on our Facebook page. Simply "like" your favorite entry—or entries—to cast your vote. The entry with the most likes from the United States and the entry with the most likes from abroad will each win a $100 Beadaholique gift certificate!

Entries are numbered in alphabetical order. Voting ends Wednesday, April 17th at 4PM PT.

"Red Flower Bracelet" - Tatiana Alkhimova

"Green with Envy" - Cheryl Battle

"Enchanted Blooms"- Chiara Cattaruzza

"Everlasting Blue Danube" - Dawn Doucette

"Emerald Silk Necklace" - Carrie Grabowicz

"Emergence of Spring" - Kate Ledum

"Princess Charming"" - Sally Jo Montamble

"Birthday Earrings" - Afshan Fathima Nawas

"Spring Bouquet" - Maureen Price

"ELFish Pendant" - Rosalina Raferty

"Springtime Yellow Micro Macrame" - Sherri Stokey

"Spring Blooming Cuff" - Una Valtere

We received some fantastic entries this time around—it was so difficult to pick the finalists that we picked 12! Unfortunately, some great entries were disqualified for not including required information such as country of residence or email address, so please make sure to carefully read and follow the instructions for each contest. The next one will be announced in the May issue of The Beading Wire. 

Meet Savannah - Our Newest Blog Contributor!

If you read our Mother's Day gift blog post, you might have noticed a new author here on our Beader's Blog: Savannah Pendleton.  Savannah's not new to the Beadaholique family, but she is relatively new to the position of Marketing Content Developer.  We are super excited to have her in this position, and to have her contributing some of her writing and wonderful personality to our blog.  Be sure to keep an eye out for posts from Savannah!

Make Mom a Special Mother's Day Gift This Year

The first gifts that my younger brothers and I made for our mom were classroom-made construction paper flowers, papier-mâché picture frames, and cards with macaroni borders.  Each year, our mom would smile and delight at her handmade gifts and carefully pack them away in a box for safe keeping.  As we grew up, we eventually traded in handmade goodies for store bought gifts.  But this year for Mother's Day, we decided to make something for our mom again, and create a special keepsake she can cherish year round. 

My middle brother Collin's favorite project is Julie's Sterling Silver and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Pearl Bird's Nest Necklace.  It's a gorgeous statement piece.  Nothing shows thanks to mom's TLC like a delicate nest with little pearl eggs.  Our mom has a little urban farm here in Los Angeles and she raises chickens. He thought it would be a great touch to give a nod to her three little chickies.

My top choice is Megan's Mother's Treasures Necklace. It's the perfect everyday, go-to piece. This project would make the perfect heartfelt gift with its featured personalized stamped disks with the names and birthstones of a mother's children. Because I'm extra cheesy when it comes to my mom, I'd really like to make her a gift that she could wear close to her heart every day. 

We have simple and classic looks that are easy to make for our beginners, like my youngest brother Mitch.  Try the Simply Charming Earrings in Light Rose or the Treasured Moments Single Briolette Necklace. The wide array of colors offered by Swarovski Elements means that you can customize these projects with your mom's favorite color.

You could also create a custom piece to show off your mom's personality.  Pandora style bracelets are on trend and the I Love Mom Pandora Style Cuff Bracelet is a fun and eye-catching piece.  Or another idea: alphabet and family charms would make a great start, or addition, to a charm bracelet. 

Mother's Day is just a month away--May 12th!  So be sure to order soon to get your supplies, and don't forget to check out our Mother's Day project page for even more inspiration.

Now that we've got a few ideas, my brothers and I have to get to work on our handmade gifts for our mom this year... I just hope she doesn't read this!

- Savannah

Beading Table Wednesday: 04/10/2013

Julie's Table

There is a lot of sparkle on my table today! April's birthstone is diamond so I am trying to incorporate a lot of crystal into my designs this week. The design with the biggest "wow" factor has to be the Pandora style sterling silver bracelet loaded with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS BeCharmed beads.

 Megan's Table

I love our new Beadelle bracelet components and links, and especially this gunmetal plated and black diamond link.  I'm working on a wrap bracelet with pretty purple waxed cotton cord and some gunmetal plated stardust accent beads.  I love the way the purple cord looks with the gray color of the metal!

Beading Table Wednesday: 04/03/2013

Megan's Table

My table may not look like much today, but that's because my fun new project is just getting started.  I've got my sights set on a Russian Leaf earring using the diagonal style peyote stitch of the same name.  Any excuse I can find for using more of our gorgeous new colors of Delicas is okay with me!

Julie's Table

Wubbers!  We're expanding our selection of Wubbers pliers, and today I'm working on a video overview of the product line.  I've been gathering all of my information and also all of the tools!  What do you think?  What does this pile of pliers make you want to create?